We've all seen the mats that everyone steps on before walking onto the floor. The players step on them and off comes all the grit and grime before stepping onto the floor. The tacky mats help increase player manuevering and shoe traction. As well as helping to reduce sweeping and mopping those expensive wooden gym floor finishes.

It seems that one company, Slipp-Nott has controlled the market for quite some time, as they boast of 28 of 29 NBA teams purchasing their product. Well, they have some competition now. Bob Sliwinski was gracious to send us a couple of their products. The Fast Brake Starter Kit that includes a 26"x26" mat base and 40 sheets, priced at $79.95 and their 6"x14" Personal Sports Pad that comes with 20 sheets, priced at $9.95.

Mat size	Competitor SPM	Price	Fast-Brake #	Fast-Brake SPM	Price
15" x 18"	60	79.95	FB0305	40	54.95
15" x 18"	60	39.95	FB0306	40	21.95
26" x 26"	60	136.00	FB0310	40	79.95
26" x 26"	60	66.95	FB0311	40	42.95
6" x 14"	N/A	N/A	FB0201	20	9.95
*SPM - sheets per mat

Fast-Brake's prices are competitive. Actually, their prices appear a little lower. Some sets are as much as $0.25 per sheet cheaper. A nice savings to a great product. The Starter Kit with the 26" square base offers a handle for ease of moving from gym to gym. Each individual sheet holds up well and we have had no problems. Fast-Brake can custom print your team name or school logo as well, for an additional charge. So, you can have an aesthetically pleasing mat for games. Excellent product!

I have to say the product that I liked is the personal size. We took the pad to the gym a couple of times and everyone wanted to know where we had purchased it. I informed all of them of the Fast-Brake website. The players found it easier to use the product while sitting down rather than trying to stand. But, the product works no matter which way you use it. The sheets are durable and can be used for a few sessions, provided the floor is not too dirty.

Fast-Brake tacky pads are a great solution to the problem of slipping around the floor during a game. A worthy investment for any team serious about optimal performance. Get a mat customized for your team today, you won't go wrong. Visit their website, Fast-Brake.com, and check out the prices and info for your self. Definitely worth it.

PowerBasketball has been contacted by Slipp-Nott, the originators of these "tacky" mats. Slipp-Nott contacted us and provided us with some insight into their product. Slipp-Nott's TM1518 mats have 50 sheets and a suggested list price of $25. Also, Trac Mate mats are almost 20% larger contain 50 more sheets and only cost $5 more per mat than the 15 x 18 mats in the above table. They offer customization of their mats.

They do have a personal size, which is approximately 9" x 12.5", that PowerBasketball was unaware of. The Slipp-Nott Mini Mat comes with a base, unlike the Fast-Brake product, as all other Traction products to facilitate its use by someone who is standing. PowerBasketball will be featuring more information in a seperate article in the near future on the Slipp-Nott product line.

Please feel free to visit the Slipp-Nott website" for additional information regarding their products.